Waste and Pollution

  1. Introduction

    1. Definition of waste and pollution

      1. Waste: unwanted or unusable materials arising from production and consumption activities 

        1. Municipal waste: garbage 

        2. Industrial waste: including hazardous waste 

        3. Food waste

        4. Electronic waste 

        5. Plastic waste 

      2. Pollution : the introduction of harmful materials into the environment

    2. Types of pollution, eg water, air, soil, radiation, noise, light, thermal

  • Air pollution 

  • Water pollution :Microplastic 

  • Light pollution 

  • Noise pollution 

  • Soil pollution : land runoff

  • Radiation 

  • Thermal: cooling or heating places

  1. Concerns about waste and pollution

    1. Environmental degradation 

    2. Human health risks 

    3. Climate change 

    4. Resource depletion 

    5. Economic costs

  2. Major causes of waste and pollution

    1. Overconsumption 

    2. Agricultural and industrial 

    3. Waste management 

    4. Infrastructure and urbanization 

    5. fossil fuels dependency 

    6. Negligence and lack of awareness

  1. Food waste

Definition and sources of food waste

  1. Food waste: food discarded by retailers due to color or appearance, and plate waste by consumers (USDA)

  1. Food waste in the USA

  • 30-40% of food in the United States is wasted

    • Leftovers from meals (consumption phase)

    • Also food lost in production, processing, distribution and preparation

  •  Recent HelloFresh survey found average spending of $248 on groceries per week, discarding ~$63 worth of food

  • 25% of people who cook food “always” or “often” make more than they can finish, with 83% planning to have leftovers. Many of these leftovers end up in the trash ...

• Due to forgetfulness (35%)

• Due to boredom (24%)

  1. Activities to reduce food waste

    1. Individual

  • Plan meals, manage leftovers, compost

  • Support businesses actively reducing food waste

  • Educate oneself on “use by” dates

  1. Government

  • Supermarkets banned from discarding unsold food (France)

  •  Incentives to donate unsold food (Italy)

  • 2030 goal to cut food waste in half (USA)

  1. Business

  • Measure and monitor

  • Educate and engage

  • Collaborate with suppliers and the government for systemic solutions

  1. Plastics

    1. The promise of plastics

  • Consumer expectations: product performance, Convenient

  • Supply chain benefits : plastics are versatile and are very light (easy to transport/more to transport each time than e.g glass)

  • Profitability: Ridiculously cheap 

  1. Problems and consequences of plastics

  • Social Problems : waste management, health concerns 

  • Environmental Problems: Pollution and toxics, impact on wildlife 

  1. Magnitude of the plastics problem

  • 448 million tons in 2015 and 8.3 bil tons since 1950

  1. Microplastics

    1. Found in almost every part of the human body

    2. Associations between cardiovascular disease and low male fertility

    3. Chemical additives known to cause cancer, metabolic disorders, ADHD, infertility

  2. Policies and Regulations

    2. Reduce consumption

    3. Use less harmful alternatives e.g., mushrooms, seaweed

    4. Increase recycling

    5. Recovery technologies, e.g., Ocean Cleanup System 001, plastic roads

    6. Market innovations, e.g., taxes, Plastic Bank, plastic waste reduction credits

    7. Legislation e.g., container deposits, bans, EPR

  3. Types of plastics — Recycling codes 

    1. Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) (1) 

      1. Beverage bottles, food jars, clothing and carpet fiber, some shampoo and mouthwash bottles

    2. High-density polyethylene (HDPE) (2) 

      1. detergent and bleach bottles, snack boxes, milk jugs, toys, buckets, crates, plant pots, garden furniture, trash bins

    3. Polyvinyl chloride (PVC) (3)

      1. Credit cards, window and doorframes, gutters, pipes and fittings, wire and capble sheating, synthetic leather

    4. Low-density polyethylene (LDPE) (4)

      1. packaging film, shopping bags, bubble wrap, flexible bottles, wire and cable insultation

    5. Polypropylene (PP) (5)

      1. bottle tops, drinking straws, lunch boxes, insulated coolers, fabric and carpet fiber, tarps, diapers

    6. Polystyrene (PS) (6)

      1. plastic-foam cups, egg boxes, meat trays, packing peanuts, coat hangers, yogurt containers, insulation, toys

    7. Other (7)

      1. nylon fabrics, baby bottles, compact disks, medical storage containers, car parts, watercooler bottles

Easy, manageable, difficult, very difficult to recycle (ranges from 1-7)

  1. Fast Fashion

    1. Benefits and concerns

      1. Benefits: Clothes became easier, quicker, and cheaper to make 

      2. Concerns: 

        1. Waste + Pollutes planet

          1. Creates MASSIVE textile waste → Use of cheap, toxic textile dyes (makes the fashion industry one of the largest polluters of clean water globally, right up w agriculture.)

            1. greenpeace has been pressuring brands to remove dangerous chemicals

          2. Polyester is the most popular fabric. Derived from fossil fuels. Contributes to global warming. Can shed microfibres that add to the increasing levels of plastic in our oceans when washed or even worn.

          3. Conventional cotton also requires enormous quantities of water and pesticides in country like india and china….this results in drought risks and creates extreme stress on water basins and competition for resources between companies and local communities

          4. Processing of leather also impacts environment 300kg of chemicals added to every 900 kg of animal hides tanned

        2. Exploits workers

          1. Human costs

          2. Workers work in dangerous environments for low wages and w.out fundamental human rights

          3.  Farmers may work w toxic chemicals that can have devasting impacts on workers physical and mental health.--> The True Cost documentary.

        3. Harming Animals

          1. Toxic dyes and microfibers released in waterways then ingested by land and marine life

          2. Leather, fur, wool used in fashion directly

          3.  Animal welfare is put at risk

        4. Coercing Customers 

          1.  Encouraging a throw-away culture

          2.  Creates constant sense of need and ultimate dissatisfaction

          3. Criticised on intellectual properties

    2. Activities to reduce fast fashion waste

      1. Individual

        1. Buy less (Create capsule wardrobe) 

        2. Choose well (high quality that’ll last)

        3. Make it last (wearing them until worn out, mending whenever possible, recycling them at the end)

        4. Shop secondhand

        5. Support sustainable brands

        6. Repurpose and repair

        7. Wash responsibly

      2. Government

        1. France’s anti-waste law (2020) 

        2. UK Environmental Audit Committee (2019)

        3. Extended producer responsibility (EPR)

      3. Business

        1. Embrace circular economy models 

        2. Design for durability 

          1. Sustainable materials 

        3. Transparency and traceability 

        4. On-demand production